Baked Pork Chops and Potatoes

Potatoes and peppers from the CSA, pork chops on sale = baked goodness.

3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
4 Pork Chops
1 Tbl Oil
1 Tbl Herbs De Provence
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Cups Bell Pepper - Large Dice
2 Cups Potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
2 Cups Milk, heated to almost boiling
4 Tbl Butter
1/4 Cup Cake Flour (may use AP)

Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet.  While heating, sprinkle Herbs De Provence on the pork chops.  Put the garlic in the skillet and place the pork chops on top, herb side down.  Cook for 1 minute, sprinkling with salt and pepper.  Turn.  Cook 2 to 3 minutes and move to a casserole dish.

Put peppers into skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, pour on top of pork chops.

Layer potatoes over peppers.

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter.  Whisk in flour - making a roux.  Slowly whisk in milk, pour over all.

Cover and bake for 1 hour.

Peanut Butter Pound Cake

This cake will get are dark crust.  Don't worry, it doesn't taste burnt, it tastes like a peanut butter cookie.  Think of it - peanut butter pound cake wrapped in a peanut butter cookie.  YUM.

1 Cup Butter, Softened
3 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Jif
6 Large Eggs
3 Cup Cake Flour
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Creme Fraiche
1 Tsp Vanilla.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly butter a tube pan, set aside.

In a large bowl beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer.  Beat in peanut butter.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each.  Sift together flour, baking powder and soda.  Add half to the mixer bowl, mix well.  Add the creme fraiche and vanilla, mix well.  Add remaining flour mixture, mix and pour into pan.

Bake in middle of oven 80 to 90 minutes until a pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 15 minutes.

Apple Cake

This is a spicy, apple loaded pastry that is a bit like monkey bread but baked in one piece like a cake. It is not extremely sweet.  You may make and use a glaze, but I didn't find it necessary.

3 Cups Bisquick
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter, melted
1/4 Cup Milk
1 Tsp Vanilla
3 Large Eggs, slightly beaten
3 Cups Diced Apples

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a bundt pan with cooking spray, set aside.

Mix all dry ingredients, set aside.

Mix all wet ingredients, stir into dry ingredients just until moist.  Gently stir in apples (You may need to use your hands).  Press into pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Corn on the Cob

By now, many of you have seen this post on FaceBook.  What follows is my first time making a version of this.  I had no Cajun Spice, but I had a cupboard full of spices, so this was my concoction.  Quite tasty.

I heated my grill to 400 degrees.  While heating, I shucked the corn and placed each on a piece of non stick foil.

I mixed 1 Tsp Chili Powder, 1 Tsp Salt, 1 Tsp Five Pepper Spice Mix, 1/2 Tsp Ground Mustard, 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper and 1/2 Tsp Hot Hungarian paprika and sprinkled that over the corn.

I then wrapped the corn in bacon.

Wrapped all of that in foil and placed on the grill.

Cooked it for about 10 minutes, turned it and added chicken to the grill.

Turned every 10 minutes until the chicken was done.

Yes, I had spices left over.  No problem - I mixed them with the plum glaze so the chicken tied together nicely with the corn.  You could also dice potatoes, toss with oil and the spices, wrap in foil and put them on the grill with the corn.

Pumpkin Treats for Your Dog

It's fall, don't your pup's deserve a pumpkin treat, too?

Mix 2 Cups pumpkin, 1/2 Cup Smooth Peanut Butter, 1 Container Plain Greek Yogurt (approximately 5.5 ounces), and 1 Cup milk in a blender.

Blend until smooth.

Pour into ice cube trays.

Freeze.

Another Weekend, Another Corn Maze

Today found is in Aspers, PA at Fields of Adventure.  A space themed maze - with a finish time of 19:41.  We picked a pumpkin - this one to decorate the bottom of the steps.  When soft, we will put it out where the deer like to hide.  A zip line was available, but it was too windy when we were there.  There were ponies, calves and goats to pet:

Pumpkin Checkers:

Pumpkin Bowling:

and lots of other things to do.  Find a farm, have a fun fall day.

Spiced Plum Sauce

Yesterday's Pork chops and the sweet and spicy plum chicken wings we had a few weeks ago were wonderful.  I had a batch of spiced plum jam that did not set (twice) and is now plum syrup, so I thought I would make a glaze for chicken.  This would work with spiced plum jam, too, but be thicken.

Combine 1 cup Spiced Plum Jam and 1/4 Cup Spicy Mustard.  Use as a glaze for chicken (or pork).

Spiced Pork and Plums

CSA Plums - wanted something a little different.  This mixture fit the bill.  Spiced Pork and Plums - may sound odd, but the plum sauce is WONDERFUL - try it, you'll like it.

4 Pork Chops
2 Tbl Butter
1 Tsp 5 Spice Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/4 Cup Seasoned Roasted Garlic Rice Vinegar
2 Tbl Soy Sauce
1 Tbl Brown Sugar

Melt butter in medium heat pan.  Sprinkle one side of pork with 5 spice powder, place spice down in hot pan.

Sprinkle top side with salt.  Cook 4 minutes per side and remove to a plate.

Slice plums, add to hot pan.  Cook 3 minutes.

Whisk together garlic, rice vinegar, soy sauce and brown sugar.

Add to pan.  Cook and stir until simmering.

Return Pork to pan, cover and cook until pork is cooked (155 degrees).

Rachael Burgers

Hubby loves Rachael's and Reuben's.  The local grocery store had ground turkey for $3.99 a pound.  Next up - Reuben burgers.

1 Small Can Sauerkraut
1 Lb Ground Turkey
Rye Bread
Thousand Island Dressing
4 Slices Swiss Cheese

Toast 2 pieces of rye bread on low.  Cool.  Toast Again on low.  Cool Crumble.

Drain 1/2 Can Sauerkraut THOROUGHLY.

Mix Rye crumbs, drained sauerkraut and turkey.

Form into patties.  Make 4 the size of rye bread or 8 half size.

Place in a hot pan and cook on both sides.

Toast rye bread.  Spread with thousand Island Dressing.  Top with Cheese, more sauerkraut and another slice of toasted rye.

Enjoy!